Reno vs. Anchorage (Fairbanks, Palmer, Seward: 2015, rental, crime)

[AnythingOutdoors]

OP, I don't have anything add regarding Anchorage, just want to point out that what you seem to really be looking for is a mountain town that's not a tourist destination. Not all mountain towns have the problems you describe, which means you have quite a few options in the lower 48 if you're wiling to live with some trade-offs.

If most of your skiing is AT then the entire Intermountain West is your oyster. Look for towns without a ski resort, far from National Parks and other tourist attractions. Smaller towns that aren't too pretty or well known. Just as one example, Elko, NV with the Ruby Mountains in your backyard. Or, more remote, Ely, NV with the Schell Creek Range. Or La Grande/Baker City, OR with the Blue Mountains and Wallowa Mountains nearby.

If you want a ski resort nearby this is also doable, but your options are more limited. Look for smaller resorts that cater to locals. These aren't as fancy as the big resorts in Tahoe, but neither do they attract tourists. Places like Chewelah, WA with nearby 49° North Mountain Resort. This also has the advantage of being ~1 hr from Spokane and all it's conveniences.

[SkyLark2019]

Forgive me for the cliche-ness of this suggestion but would you consider Washington State?

[AnythingOutdoors]

Another suggestion to consider: Wenatchee, WA. Small city on the eastern side of the Cascades bisected by the Columbia River. Mission Ride Ski resort is just outside of town. I love these smaller, older resorts -- it's like stepping back in time to the '80s/'90s when stuff was simpler and the focus is on skiing rather than paying tons of money to lounge around the lodge. Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest to the west with great hiking. Lots of AT skiing all around. Within easy driving range of Mount Rainier National Park and North Cascades National Park, yet far enough way to avoid tourism impacts. It even has a Costco About 2.5 hours to the Seattle area, which is good in some ways, but also means more people visiting especially summer weekends and holidays. As others have pointed out here, tourism is also an issue Anchorage.

[SkyLark2019]

I personally loved Spokane, Washington..... I passed through on a business trip & found the city to be very cute.

On a morbid note- a lot of nice properties are on the market in Washington State due to their owners retiring or passing away. Such is life.

Washington State has a rich history, much culture and is affordable compared to many other places on the West Coast.

Follow your muse OP!

[ejisme]

Originally Posted by AnythingOutdoors

OP,

If most of your skiing is AT then the entire Intermountain West is your oyster. Look for towns without a ski resort, far from National Parks and other tourist attractions. Smaller towns that aren't too pretty or well known. Just as one example, Elko, NV with the Ruby Mountains in your backyard. Or, more remote, Ely, NV with the Schell Creek Range. Or La Grande/Baker City, OR with the Blue Mountains and Wallowa Mountains nearby.

.

La Grande/Baker City would be good choices. La Grande has Eastern Oregon State University, so likely very good internet in town. Between the two towns is Anthony Lakes Ski Resort (one chairlift ski hill in beautiful location). It's in the Eaglecap Mountains which Baker City sits at the base of. Costco, major shopping and airport all all in the Boise area 2+ hours away.

Walla Walla, WA might be another option. It's on the northern edge of the Blue Mts. Not much snow in town, but plenty 30 or so minutes away. Costco is an hour away in Kennewick, WA (Tri-Cities).

I've visited Anchorage (summer) and Fairbanks (winter). Both are great visit cities, but not sure I'd want to live there long-term. Good luck to you!

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by SkyLark2019

I personally loved Spokane, Washington..... I passed through on a business trip & found the city to be very cute.

On a morbid note- a lot of nice properties are on the market in Washington State due to their owners retiring or passing away. Such is life.

Washington State has a rich history, much culture and is affordable compared to many other places on the West Coast.

Follow your muse OP!

There are some areas in Northern Washington, Newport for example, where a lot of people live to very old age. My Father in-law died at the age of nearly 96 a few years ago, and my mother in-law is still alive and kicking, with a very active brain, too. She should be around 97 years old already

It is a beautiful place, specially the Northernmost areas, but what I don't like about Washington State is the way it taxes its residents.
----------------------------

That said, there aren't comparisons between Reno and Anchorage. It is like comparing apples to oranges.

[Snowballs]

Originally Posted by AnythingOutdoors

OP, I don't have anything add regarding Anchorage, just want to point out that what you seem to really be looking for is a mountain town that's not a tourist destination. Not all mountain towns have the problems you describe, which means you have quite a few options in the lower 48 if you're wiling to live with some trade-offs.

That's very insightful and probably correct.

FWIW, there's one thing that attracts me to Alaska over the lower 48 (and it's maybe sorta weird): the drawbacks! I see the cold and darkness as insurance against the population boom that has ruined Reno and Tahoe (for me, at least). Should I find an ideal mountain home in OR, WA, or ID, for example, you can bet others will follow (and put another obnoxious AirBnB right next door).

But, I'm gathering tourism has brought those nuisances to Alaska already - at least, for some chunks of the year. [And there's no shortage of AirBnBs in AK either, it seems. There's no way I'm settling for a one-acre parcel if that's even a remote possibility.] Good to know.

Another consideration is wildfires. In the last few years, they've become the new normal throughout the west. Alaska has 'em too but some areas are more-or-less protected (from fire, or merely the smoke) by geography.

Originally Posted by RayinAK

There are some areas in Northern Washington, Newport for example....

Good suggestion. And, thank you, everyone, for all of the terrific 'mountain town' suggestions! [Keep 'em coming!!!] I've got a big ol' spreadsheet with towns (just AK, so far), their demographics, geography, etc., and will be researching each one.

Originally Posted by RayinAK

It is a beautiful place, specially the Northernmost areas, but what I don't like about Washington State is the way it taxes its residents.

Ay, there's the rub. I run a small business too - an S Corp. On paper, AK is good for my business (and other taxes, depending on the town). I don't know about WA, OR, etc., but I suspect they'll gouge me one way or another. Will research.

Thank you, everyone! So much great advice here.

[Northrick]

Originally Posted by Snowballs

FWIW, there's one thing that attracts me to Alaska over the lower 48 (and it's maybe sorta weird): the drawbacks! I see the cold and darkness as insurance against the population boom that has ruined Reno and Tahoe (for me, at least). Should I find an ideal mountain home in OR, WA, or ID, for example, you can bet others will follow (and put another obnoxious AirBnB right next door).

Alaska as a whole is a tourist destination in the summer. You want to avoid any town with a cruise ship dock. Anchorage, being the largest city, can more easily handle an influx of tourists. You notice them, but as long as you avoid the Moose's Tooth Pizzeria and the Snow City Cafe, it's not usually a problem (both restaurants are great but can get stupid crowded because anyone from anywhere is told to go there). Plus, most tourist coming to Anchorage are just passing through so not here that long.


Alaska and Anchorage's populations have been declining for several years now for a variety of reasons. Although, they say the state did add 451 people to the population between 2021 and 2022. Cold, darkness, and separation from the rest of the lower 48 are big filters on who will live here.

[AnythingOutdoors]

Originally Posted by Snowballs

That's very insightful and probably correct.

FWIW, there's one thing that attracts me to Alaska over the lower 48 (and it's maybe sorta weird): the drawbacks! I see the cold and darkness as insurance against the population boom that has ruined Reno and Tahoe (for me, at least). Should I find an ideal mountain home in OR, WA, or ID, for example, you can bet others will follow (and put another obnoxious AirBnB right next door).

But, I'm gathering tourism has brought those nuisances to Alaska already - at least, for some chunks of the year. [And there's no shortage of AirBnBs in AK either, it seems. There's no way I'm settling for a one-acre parcel if that's even a remote possibility.] Good to know.

Another consideration is wildfires. In the last few years, they've become the new normal throughout the west. Alaska has 'em too but some areas are more-or-less protected (from fire, or merely the smoke) by geography.

I hear you and get it. Tahoe has unique challenges being in a state with 40M people and just 2.5 hrs from the 8M folks of the Bay Area. Whereas the entire state of WA has about the same number of people as the Bay Area, and most of this is concentrated in the Seattle area. The central and eastern part of the state isn't in danger of being overrun anytime soon. Oregon has around half the population of WA, and ID about 1/4. That's just ~2M people in the entire state. Once you get out of the population centers of the PNW it's amazing how sparsely populated it is.

I live in Boise (I like the outdoors and the wife prefers the city, so a good compromise for us), and outside of the metro area I can drive for hours and hours on back roads and see almost no cars or people. Of course, there are popular areas that get crowded. I think the key for what you're looking for is nondescript areas with mountains but no other big draw. Most small towns in the PNW and Intermountain West, have flat or declining populations unless they are anchored by a tourist attraction (National Park, Vale Resort, etc.). A road trip through the less populated areas of the PNW my be worth your time, if nothing else to rule it out and confirm AK as a choice.

As for cold and dark, IMO it's the dark you need to consider carefully. I lived for a time in Northern Europe and the cold was no problem, but the long dark winter got to me. It's not just that the days are short (and they are!), but also the sun never really gets off the horizon. Sunrise today in Anchorage was about 10am and sunset around 4pm. That's 6 hrs of light that never really gets very intense. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is the real deal. Plan on vitamin D supplements and a light box.

As for wildfires, well... https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/...ions-in-alaska 10,000 square miles (around 6M acres) burned is more than what CA experienced in 2021.

But if you really want to give Alaska a try don't mind me. Sometimes we have to try things out to see how they fit. Wish you all the best in your adventures.

[rya700]

Just curious if you have you considered Wyoming?